Features & opinion
The pieces that take a little longer.
Long-reads, analysis and opinion on the game from grassroots up — the stories you can't fit in 280 characters and shouldn't try to.
The Hidden Admin Behind a Weekly Game of Grassroots Football
Finding a pitch is the easy part. The real work happens in the days before kick-off, and one person always does it.
EFL Clubs and the Volunteer Economy: A Mutual Benefit?
The symbiotic relationship between EFL clubs and local volunteers is essential for the league's sustainability.
Data-Driven Scouting in Women's Football
Data analytics is transforming how future stars are discovered in women's football.
Why Your Club's WhatsApp Group Is Costing You Players
The chat thread that runs every Sunday-morning team is also where its members are quietly drifting away. The fix isn't another app — it's noticing.
The Unpaid Job That Keeps Football Running
Every team in the country has one. None of them get paid. The grassroots game has a treasurer problem nobody is solving — and a free fix is hiding in plain sight.
The Data Sunday League Isn't Collecting — And Why It Matters
Every weekend millions of matches vanish unrecorded. The clubs that capture them are quietly pulling ahead.
Why Grassroots Clubs Are Quietly Becoming Tech Companies
Subs by direct debit, team apps, automated match reports. The Sunday-morning club has a back office now.
The Volunteer Economy That Holds Football Together
Strip out the unpaid hours and the grassroots game collapses by Tuesday. We tried to count them.
Your Club's Website Is Costing You Players
A dead Facebook page and a WhatsApp group is not a front door. Parents choose clubs they can actually find.
Match Reports Used to Take an Hour. Now They Take a Minute.
AI didn't replace the coach's eye. It replaced the Sunday-night admin nobody had time for.
The Premier League Trickles Down. Slowly.
Billions at the top, jumble-sale nets at the bottom. Following the money from the Prem to the park.
Pitch a long-read
Got a story the rest of football is missing?
Coaches, club secretaries, players, tipsters — get in touch. Confidentiality guaranteed.